"Love one another as I have loved you." -John 15
St. Francis and St. Mary Star of the Sea service ministries are opportunities
through which members serve parish needs or the special needs of families and individuals in the community.
Funeral Luncheon Service
As a service to the bereaved, the Funeral Luncheon Service organizes and staffs a luncheon at the parish following burial. Please contact the parish office so we may serve you in your time of loss. Volunteers are needed to serve the meal and to prepare food and desserts for the luncheon. If you would like to participate, please sign up in the entryway or contact the parish office.
Altar Society
The Altar Society is the lead group which helps coordinate the efforts of the 3 current Circles at St. Francis: The St. Francis Circle, the St. Theresa Circle, and the Holy Family Circle. There are four officers, with a representative from each group, and it is open to women of all ages. A large responsibility of the Altar Society is to provide for the altar at St. Francis. This entails paying for altar candles, including the Easter candle, new chalices or cups, vestments, albs, altar cloths and anything else our Pastor may request. The Altar Society also hosts many of the receptions for special events, such as First Holy Communion, Confirmation, RCIA or a Bishop's visit, provides lunch for volunteers during Duc in Altum and also prepares and hosts some of the meals for our law enforcement during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
The Altar Society's community outreach is vast, with a focus on children, and those who are sick or confined to their homes or care facility. The Altar Society also helps pay for items such as ties, veils, prayer books, rosaries & mass books for First Communion students, paper products for the kitchen, and rosary making supplies for the Rosary Makers. They also help fund projects such as painting, carpeting/flooring, furniture, appliances, and construction or remodeling. The Parish Fall Bazaar and the Tour of Tables are primary fundraising events, which the Altar Society and Circles organize in their goal of supporting St. Francis and its parishioners. The Altar Society meets the 1st Wednesday of each month at 3:30pm, in the Gather Room.
St. Francis Circle
The St. Francis Circle meets the 2nd Thursday of each month, in the Gather Room.
Please call Pat Casteel at 605-347-5110 with any questions.
St. Theresa Circle
The St. Theresa Circle meets the 3rd Monday of each month at 6:30pm, at the home of Margaret Hunt.
Please call Margaret at 605-720-3881 with any questions.
Holy Family Circle
The Holy Family Circle meets the 1st Monday after the 1st Wednesday of each month, in the Gather Room.
Please call Charlotte Pistulka at 605-720-4995 with any questions.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Inspired by Gospel values, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization, leads women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering in the tradition of its founder, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, and patron, St. Vincent de Paul. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is dedicated to feeding, clothing, housing and healing individuals and families in our community who have nowhere else to turn for help, providing meaningful opportunities for volunteers to serve their neighbors in need with love and compassion. You may bring your essential household items and non-perishable food items for donation to St. Francis, and place them in the collection bin in the entryway. Monetary donations are also welcome! If you are writing a check to place in the general collection, please be sure to note "SVdP" in the memo line. Monetary donations may also be mailed to:
PO Box 541 Sturgis, SD 57785.
If you are in need of help, please contact the local SVDP helpline at 605-519-8583. If you would like to become involved in ministering through SVdP, please contact the parish office.
Fatima Prayer Group
The Fatima Prayer Group comes together in the main church area to pray the rosary and foster devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Everyone is welcome. This group meets each Monday at 5pm. This group is currently on hold.
Please call Laree Scott at 605-499-9630 with any questions.
Black Hills Shepard Rosary Makers
Do you enjoy crafting? Come join the rosary makers for an hour and help make rosaries! You may also take home a package to create 10 rosaries and return them when completed. The rosaries produced are sent to different missions around the world. This group meets every Tuesday at 4pm in the 1st grade classroom.
Please call Mike Hopfinger at 605-347-1203 with any questions.
Knights of Columbus
At Council #6341 in Sturgis, SD, you will find brother Knights working to fulfill the central mission of the Order: striving in charitable works, serving the Church and unified in following its teachings, supporting brother Knights in their temporal and spiritual needs, acting for the good of their country, and giving aid to widows, orphans, the sick and the poor. Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to Catholic men in union with the Holy See, living the Commandments of God and the Precepts of the Church and who are at least 18 years old. Meetings are held the 1st Tuesday of each month.
For more information, or to join, please contact Eric Fowler at 605-490-3372. You may also learn more at the national website for the Knights of Columbus.